Brandon Roy participated in his first full practice with his Timberwolves teammates since undergoing arthroscopic surgery Nov. 19 on his right knee. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

NEW YORK -- Few days have gone by this season in which Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has not had to talk about an injury to one of his players.

Adelman had another one of those discussions Saturday, Dec. 22, but this time there seemed to be a glow on his face.

That's because Brandon Roy participated in his first full practice with his teammates since undergoing arthroscopic surgery Nov. 19 on his right knee.

The sight of Roy hitting jumpers and moving freely, without apparent pain or stiffness, was something Adelman needed to see after enduring an endless string of injuries to his team since the start of the season.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Adelman said. "He moved pretty good today, and he shot it well. It was a good sign to see him get out there."

Roy will not play in the Timberwolves' game Sunday, Dec. 23, against New York at Madison Square Garden, but he expressed confidence that his return to the lineup is not far off.

Roy, who has a history of knee problems in a seven-year NBA career, needed surgery to relieve lingering discomfort in his right knee after bumping it against an opposing player in the Wolves' final exhibition game against Milwaukee on Oct. 27.

Ever since that bump, Roy admitted he didn't feel right, but he tried to play through the occasional pain for the first five games before finally shutting it down during halftime of a Nov. 9 game against Indiana.

Saturday's practice marked the first time since then that Roy had been in a five-on-five situation.

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Adelman ran the team through some scrimmaging, and Roy was able to complete the workout with no problems.

"For people watching, you would have never thought I was injured," he said. "It was a great day for me. I felt good out there. I really feel good about how the day went."

Signed in the offseason as a vital piece to the Wolves' playoff hopes, Roy remained noncommittal about a possible return to the lineup. He and Adelman want to go through a few more practices before determining a potential target date.

A key step for Roy, who has had seven surgeries on his knees dating to his days at Garfield High School in Seattle, is how the knee responds Sunday after he pushed himself hard in practice. Roy's latest knee issue came a year after he retired from the Portland Trail Blazers because of a degenerative condition in both knees.

Roy underwent a treatment known as platelet-rich plasma therapy, a blood-spinning procedure that helps rebuild tissue and helped fueled his comeback. He is in the midst of another comeback and hopes to provide the quality play at shooting guard the Wolves anticipated when they signed the three-time all-star in August.

"I'm an unselfish player," Roy said. "When I come back, I'll do my best to fit in. I just want to try to add some things where I can help. As long as the guys don't defer to me and continue to play the way they have, I'll find my way out there."

Roy averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 assists in 24.4 minutes in the Wolves' first five games before the team's medical staff advised him to stop playing.

Roy's potential ability to play would be good timing for the Wolves, who have a shortage of healthy guards.

Ricky Rubio is being limited to 18 minutes per game in the early phases of his comeback from a major knee injury, leaving most of the backcourt responsibility to Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea and Alexey Shved. That trio will have to share more of the load with Malcolm Lee expected to miss the rest of the season because of an injury to his right knee.

Adelman believes the team has enough depth to get through the injury problems, especially with Roy's imminent return. Though known primarily as a scorer during his six seasons with Portland, Roy is a capable playmaker and ball handler.

"I think we have enough depth (in the backcourt)," Adelman said. "If Brandon can come back, he gives us some options there. He can play the 'two' (shooting guard) or 'three' (small forward) behind Andrei (Kirilenko)."